PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
August 20, 2020
By Jeremy Roebuck
https://www.inquirer.com/news/michael-bransfield-west-virginia-philly-bishops-abuse-catholic-church-20200820.html
The Rev. Michael Bransfield — the Philadelphia-raised priest and former West Virginia bishop who resigned in 2018 amid a scandal over his lavish spending and sexual misconduct allegations — issued a tepid apology Thursday, his first to Roman Catholic faithful in his former diocese and one made under orders from the Vatican.
Despite saying he was “profoundly sorry” if anything he said or did made priests of seminarians uncomfortable during his 13-year tenure at the helm of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Bransfield continued to defend himself and took no responsibility for the millions he spent on pricey personal accommodations in one of the country’s poorest states.
“I am writing to apologize for any scandal or wonderment caused by words or actions attributed to me during my tenure,” he wrote in a letter dated Saturday and posted to the diocesan website by his successor Thursday.
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